Letter to the Editor

Quality and inclusive child care supports children in formative stages of their development and helps them meet their milestones and thrive, while preparing them to successfully transition into their K-12 education. Child care also supports the emotional and social development of children, which reduces stress in families by helping to establish routines and regulation.

At the heart of child care are professionals who have the commitment and expertise to provide rich early learning experiences for children during such a critical time in their lives. I want to celebrate and thank the thousands of B.C. child care professionals for their daily contributions to the social, educational and economic fabric of B.C.

We recognize May as Child Care Month to highlight the integral role that child care plays in the lives of children and their families, in our neighbourhoods, communities, local and provincial economies and with our Indigenous partners. In partnership with the First Nations Health Authority and the Aboriginal Head Start Association of BC, approximately 1,700 children are accessing culturally relevant care at no cost, with more spaces to come.

Child care is critical for parents, allowing them to work, study and pursue other opportunities. Throughout the province, families say access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care has been life changing by allowing them to save for their children’s education, invest in a home or generally reduce stress on finances. When more parents and caregivers are able to work because they have access to affordable child care, they are better able to participate in strengthening their communities and contributing to their local economy, which benefits everyone.

Since the launch of ChildCareBC in 2018, we’ve been building a future where access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care is a core service that families can rely on. For too many years, access to affordable, quality, inclusive child care wasn’t treated as a necessity. Our government is making different decisions. We’ve made progress on our commitments to lower fees for families, build spaces and support the education of qualified early learning professionals.

Our affordability programs are lightening the load for families throughout the province. Families accessing care in participating licensed child care programs are saving as much as $900 a month per child. The Affordable Child Care Benefit is providing an added lift for families with low and moderate incomes that really need it. And, we reached our goal of more than 15,000 $10 a Day ChildCareBC spaces by spring 2024 with the goal of 20,000 total spaces by 2025-26.

For some low- and moderate-income families, the combination of $10 a Day ChildCareBC or Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative savings with the Affordable Child Care Benefit means they are receiving child care at no cost. It’s all part of our focus to put more money back into the pockets of B.C. families, which, in turn, puts money back into our communities.

Since the introduction of ChildCareBC, we have also funded the creation of more than 37,000 child care spaces through accelerated space-creation programs with more than 18,000 of these spaces already open and serving families. Of these, more than 2,700 spaces are open and providing care for children on school grounds in 33 school districts throughout B.C.

We know the value of enriching before- and after-school child care opportunities because the need for child care doesn’t end once children enter elementary school. Child care on school grounds makes life easier for families through one dropoff and pickup location, and it improves children’s transition between child care and K-12. That’s why we provided funding for early learning and child care leads within school districts, as well as new pilots focused on before-and-after child care to better understand how school districts can directly provide child care with the support of district staff. Feedback from the pilots will help inform our evolving approach to school-aged child care on school grounds.

In recognition of your dedication, hard work and sacrifice, we have invested in bursaries, new post-secondary early childhood educator spaces, grants for specialized education and a wage increase of $6 per hour.

I invite all British Columbians to join me in recognizing Child Care Month and the integral role of child care professionals in the early years of our children’s lives.

Mitzi Dean,

B.C. Minister of State for Child Care

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